TRIGGER WARNING!
This website contains poetry and true stories about trauma, personality disorders, suicidal thoughts, self-harming, depression and other significant mental health issues, as well as personal stories of emotional neglect and physical and sexual abuse, which some people might find disturbing.
Poetry for Mental Health
Supporting people with mental health challenges by motivating and inspiring them to write poetry.
PLEASE help support Poetry for Mental Health as it continues promoting, publishing and showcasing poetry for mental health into 2026. Together we can keep supporting people around the world through words and poetry!
"Poetry for Mental Health has supported thousands of people around the world through words and poetry!"
"Formed at the outbreak of COVID by helping people cope mentally by inspiring them to write poetry; five years, seven books, hundreds of poets, and thousands of pieces of poetry later, we are still inspiring people to write poetry for positive mental health! With around 1400 visitors now each and every month, Poetry for Mental Health is now probably the largest and most visited website for poetry and mental health on the net!"
ROBIN BARRATT
Founder POETRY FOR MENTAL HEALTH
"No matter what your age, background and experience, culture or identity; whether an established writer with many published titles to your credit, or an aspiring poet who has never written a word of poetry in your life, our philosophy here is to embrace, welcome and support everyone, everywhere suffering from mental health challenges, and help you cope through words and poetry ... Get writing!"
Today's Featured Poetry
10th July, 2025
NINE TO FIVE IN THE MIND OF BORDERLINE
By Pandora Horvath
eight a.m.
the day is fresh
a clean slate
i feel confident
bubbly even
nine a.m.
my computer loads up
the same ritual
sadness enters my brain
repeating this mundane pattern
a past memory arrives
my sadness turning to suicide
and i break into a sweat
holding back a tear
that sadness dissipates
nine fifteen a.m.
sadness feels like an old friend
as we are now cheeky
nine thirty a.m.
anxiety rushes my bones
unable to function
i pace in my cubical
anxiety flips to sadness
and i apologize to my family
as they would be best
without me around
ten a.m.
my coffee is sweet
and so is my life
ten twenty five a.m.
i think my boss hates me
i hate me
everyone hates me
eleven a.m.
numbness and calm
i've stressed myself to ease
the work day continues
email after email
noon arrives
imploded with anger
because anxiety and sadness
are too heavy to handle
two p.m.
tapping my feet aggressively
holding back sweat and tears
as my body aches to not exist
two thirty p.m.
i am numb again
a moment of glee shines through
how beautiful is this life
two forty five p.m.
why do i exist?
i would be best extinct
four p.m.
the drive home brings me joy
a tear falls from my cheek
if i am so glee
why does that ditch
seem like a nice place to park
- nine to five in the mind of borderline
ABOUT THE POEM: "I wrote this piece as an expression of awareness and acknowledgment for those with Borderline Personality Disorder and the intensity it holds."
More Featured Poetry ...
On the themes of mental health, from hundreds of poets around the world.
"Why is poetry so very good for people with mental health challenges? Because it helps them see the world in their own way, and in a way that makes sense to them ..."
Robin Barratt
Books
Click on the covers for further details of all our titles. With thousands of contributions from hundreds of writers and poets around the world, our anthologies are probably some of the largest collections on mental health ever published. Please buy a copy -
ALL
profits from the sales of our titles go towards promoting and publishing poetry for positive mental health.
NOTE: All our books are now available as PDF e-Books! Just £3.99 (GBP) / $5.99 (USD). Click on the button below, and click through to the book you would like as a pdf.
Personal Journeys
In their own words, poets and writers write about their own personal journey with mental health.
Interviews
Poetry for Mental Health chats to writers and poets about their journey with mental health.
Featured Poets
Featuring over 65 poets around the world, with up to six pieces of their work, and a little about the author and the stories behind their work.
Articles
Articles about poetry and positive mental health. MORE ONLINE SHORTLY.
Other ...
Directory of Support Services
Charities, groups and organisations worldwide offering mental health help and support to people in crisis.
Mental Health First Aid
Identifying warning signs of common mental health crisis, and how to guide a person towards safety and appropriate help. Read more ...
"People can benefit from writing poetry because it can take the images and the talk in your head and transfer it to paper. It’s like getting the words out
of your head so that they don’t linger there."
Nadine Dunseith
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“No matter how bad something may seem at that moment in time when you feel all is lost, it can get better if you can only give it more time."
Lynda Tavakoli
NOTE ON CONTRIBUTIONS: We publish mental health poetry from around the world, and for a number contributors to this website, English is not their first language. Unlike some other platforms, we don't heavily edit a poet's own work (if we did, it would then not be their own work!), so please focus on a poet's messages and meanings, and not necessarily on any grammatical mistakes or translated imperfections that may arise within their contribution.